Chase Hartley
by GASPLudwig
Summary: Chase is devastated when her best fried leaves her for Sam Uley and his gang. Unfortunately, Paul is having the same problem. When Chase finally gives in and befriends him, he leaves her too. With no one left, she falls into the comfort of the mischievies Conic Triplets, who are hiding something of their own.
1. Chapter 1

A/N~ Hey guys! So I decided to write this chapter in Paul's point of view, becuase i think it worked best. I don't know if i'll be keepin git in his perspective, but i'm prettty sure i'll be using Chase's perspective for the rest of it! Hope you guys like it!

* * *

"Just get on with it, will you? I've got Algebra in ten minutes." Jared rushes, though I doubt he'd been to a single class all year.

We were all standing in the library, our big group of bodies obviously sticking out among the small wooden tables and chairs. The librarian shushes us, even when we aren't saying anything, and I knew we wouldn't be able to stay much longer. Yet, my feet didn't want to move.

Chase Hartley sat across the room, a good distance away. Her pale for La Push face was bent down into a huge book, her legs pulled up and crossed Indian style on top of her seat, and that stupid brown jacket she was alwayswearing nearly blended into the shelves behinds her.

"Seriously guys? Can't I just chug some cough syrup?" I nearly groan to the smiling group of guys. Last night we had a drinking contest, and whoever lost, had to ask out this hopeless girl and actually go on a date with her. The thought of sitting across a table watching her eat made me want to be sick.

"Times almost up. It's either ask her now, or in front of the entire school next period." Jared grins at me, and the librarian shushes us. Rolling my eyes, I move my feet towards her table. Maybe I'd get lucky and we'd go to a movie instead. At least then we'd be in the dark and no one would to see us. And we wouldn't have to see each other.

She has nice hair though, I think, when I stop at her table, and stare down at her. It's a nice chestnut colour like coffee. And long too, that's nice.

"You're blocking my light." her voice drifts up to me, but she doesn't lift her head to meet my gaze. When I don't move, she huffs and looks up. "The books for dummies section is over there." she says, looking bored and pointing with her eyes to the shelves on the other side of the room. Who the hell was she talking to?

"I was actually wondering if you wanted to go out sometime?" I spit it out.

There, it was over. If I was lucky, I wouldn't even have to stay the whole date, I could slip out a bathroom window or something. I meet her eyes and realize that she was laughing. _Laughing_. She was laughing at _me_. "Oh, you're serious." she says, sobering up and pulling her lips into a tight line, but her laughs still threatened to break through. "No thanks." she says politely; and leans back into her book.

For a minute, I'm stunned. Did she just turn me down? Did this just happen? Looking back at my friends, I managed a smile at their kissy faces and giant grins. Did they even know how seriously weird, and all together delusional this girl was? She just turned allllllll this down. I started walking back to my friends, turning around only once to call back to her. "I'll meet you at Boomey's place at seven then." but she doesn't acknowledge me or lift her head but before any of the guys can notice, the librarian is herding us out of her library.

* * *

I got to Boomey's at six thirty, in case her excitement got the best of her and she showed up early. It didn't. I chose a table by the window, and ordered a coffee. I was so confused by all this weird shit going on today; that I didn't even flirt with the hot waitress that was falling over herself to pour me more coffee. At least I know I still got it.

Boomey's was a nicer restaurant then I intended on taking her to. It had sparkly lights lining the walls and ceiling, and fancy wooded floors that your heels clicked on, and little candles on the tables, and nothing on the menu was under fifteen dollars. By seven thirty, she still isn't here. It's about eight when I figure she must have confused the nights of the date. How stupid is she going to look when she shows up on whichever night she thinks it is, and sits at a table alone for hours? Down right ridiculous is how she's going to look. I glance out the window, and have to blink hard at what I see. Chase Hartley is stumbling out of the movie theater across the street and into the dark night, her arms linked with that Kim girl, and that freaky kid who really liked film class. Their laughs blasted through the air like a canon, and before I even realized it I was throwing a twenty down on the table and rushing out into the cold. She looked flushed from the cold, but didn't seem to notice me barreling toward her. She wore a winter hat, pulled down to cover her ears, and a puffy brown vest with a skin tight white shirt under it. And she wore jeans. She didn't look dressed up, or fancy. She just looked plain. Or happy rather. Her cheeks were bright pink and her blue eyes were sparkling, and I hated her. What a tool I must look like, walking towards her in my dress pants and button downshirt, coming from a date that she stood me up for. Here she was laughing, having a good time.

"What the fuck?" I blurt out, my voice seeming to snap them out of their fits of laughter and fun. My face felt hot, and I could tell it was red as anything, but she didn't seem to have any idea what was wrong, or why I was so mad at her."You stood me up." I announce, though the roles should be reversed, and she should be the one angry at me, and yelling at me abbot how _I _stood _her_ up. Preferably in front of the entire school. But instead it was me yelling at her,on an empty street, on top of too much snow in front of her two best friends. The white flakes start to fall from the sky again but they do nothing to calm me down.

"I guess I forgot." she says, and I realize she's only saying this to save me embarrassment, because we both know she turned me down. She was protecting my pride. She was making sure I didn't look like a complete idiot, even if it were only two of her friends around. Why the hell was she being so nice? When it was just the two of us she was a bitch, and now here she was being nice. What the hell was this? Angry, because you can't be angry at someone like her, I spin on my heel and trudge through the snow home.

"Paul!" she hollers, and it isn't until she's next to me in her car that I look at her. "Get in, it's freezing out. You can't just walk home." she says, but I hear her friends complaining and scolding her. To spite them specifically, I yank open the passenger seat and settle myself inside. It's warm here, and she smiles at me like I'm some frigging lost kid, and then she drives slowly down the road. Too slowly, and when I tell her this, she says she'd rather be safe then fast. I roll my eyes at her, and remain silent again until her two friends are inside their houses and she's driving me home. "Bye Paul." she says, as if I'm a child she's dropping off at school. I'm almost expecting her to say 'have a good day' but I'm out of the car and walking to my house. I should invite her in, I think. I should give her some coffee, or maybe some beer and make her something to eat. Before I have the chance, I hear her pull away from the house, and listen until her car turns off the road.

* * *

t's not until Monday that I see her again. It's just for a few seconds as I'm standing from my bike, and she's walking through the school doors with the kid from Friday night. He's snapping pictures of her with his big camera, and she's meekly trying to dodge them. Then they disappear in through the doors and a grimace forms over my face.

I yank my helmet off and tuck it under my arm. I didn't need one in the first place, but it let people know I had a kick ass bike, even when it wasn't around. Bouncing up the steps into the school, I pause momentarily at the sight before me. Jared and the guys were all standing around Chase, her friend wasn't with her anymore, and was probably at his locker on the other side of the school.

"So how was it?" they mock her, smiles on their faces and a defiant one on hers. "how'd the date go?" they ask, and I can tell they've been grilling her for the last few minutes. "Did ya go all the way?", "Did you try to kiss him?" someone else asks, and she turns to catch my eye, then glances around at the crowd of people who were forming, then back up at Jared.

"He didn't show up." she says loud enough for everyone to hear, and glances at me one more time before pushing past Jared and into the History room just before the bell rings.


	2. Chapter 2

"Stop it already." I scold Nathan, who continues to snap pictures of me despite my warnings.

"Lighten up." he rolls his eyes, taking a chomp out of his burger as Kim finally sits with us. "And where were you?" He asks, his eyes twinkling. Kim huffs at him, because we all know she was stuck in Biology class poking at dead frogs for the last hour.

"Shove it up your-" Kim is about to say but is cut off when Paul comes over to our table, his big form casting a shadow over us. It was like he was tree. Like I could open up a book and relax in the shade of his giant body.

I meet his eyes, and he just stares at me for a minute, as if he doesn't know what to do, or say. "Nice face." He finally says, and moves on his way to his table of hooligans.

"Honestly," Nathan is saying, though my eyes linger too long after Paul, "I don't know why you didn't just come out and tell the truth."

"I couldn't do that his reputation is everything." I say, and as I say it I realize it's true. Without his reputation, who was he? Just another kid. Did he even have any real friends? Ones that knew everything about him? Did he really know any of them? Did he really know _anyone?_ "Besides, who would believe the truth?" I roll my eyes. Paul was insufferable. He made me want to rip my hair out, and give out condoms to every girl in the school as a precaution, but at the same time I sort of pitied him, I suppose. The curse of being a girl, I'm sure. Damn hormones.

"Ah."

My head snaps to Nathan who's head is bent over his food, his thumbs pressing into his eyes. This was happening a lot with him lately. Hot flashes, head aches, dizziness. I tried pin pointing it to one thing in specific, but all I could come up with was puberty, which he seemed to be zooming through. He was sprouting right up, becoming buffer, his features turning sharper right before my eyes. I had to keep lending him my dad's old clothes because he couldn't fit into his own anymore, and he was more distant lately too. He used to be the happiest person I knew. Making silly faces to make you smile, bringing me all sorts of food and movies when I was having a bad night, and knowing exactly what to say. Now he seemed wise beyond his years, less friendly towards other people. He was still happy and funny around us though, so I guess it wasn't such a big deal. But it was really creeping me out, honestly.

Kim is rubbing small circles in his back, and I realize that I should be doing the same, but instead I sit across the table from him and watch his large form shudder. "I need some air." He blurts through gritted teeth and rushes out the doors.

It's not until eighth period that I realize he's not coming back. I should bring him something like he used to do for me, I think. My parents were going to be away tonight anyway, so I might as well spend the night at his, right? I didn't actually have to be anywhere. But what if he was sick? Like really sick? I don't know how I would handle his vomiting and moaning. Well, I conclude, it never stopped him. I would have to go.

"Nah." Kim says, when I ask if she wants to join us. She'd rather sit home and stalk Jared online then actually hang out with us. Nothing was really as it was. I wasn't as close to them as I had been, but I still had them, so that would have to be enough.

I try to wait until eight before I knock at Nathan's door, but it's barely seven when I arrive. He doesn't even answer right away, it takes ten minutes of me waiting in the cold until he finally opens up and I can push myself inside. I go straight for the living room, shivering. "Ugh, it's freezing out. Anyway, I bought those hot wings you like, how're you feeling?" I say all at once, tossing the bag onto the couch, and unwrapping the scarf from my neck to go with it.

When he doesn't answer, I turn and press my hand to his head. Only then do I see the two men standing behind him. Jared sits on his step, shaking and looking bewildered. Nathan looks the same. Before I can ask what's wrong, what's going on, what the hell is happening, and why the hell Jared is in his house, the other man interrupts. He says his name is Sam, but that's as far as he gets before Nathan jumps in.

"Get out." He says to me, quickly. He sounds scared. Like he was being held hostage and if I stayed I'd get hurt as well. "Get out, we can't be friends anymore." He says again, more angry this time. His face turns red and he advances a few steps on me, making me stumble back towards his door.

"What? Nathan, you-" I find my voice, but he shots me down quickly.

"I have new friends now." He says, sounding strong and forceful and mad. Before I can think of anything to say, I'm standing outside and the door is being shut in my face.


	3. Chapter 3

The wind bit at my neck as I trudged through the snow, and it wasn't until I was nearly five blocks away that I realized I'd left my scarf on his couch. I knew where I was going without even thinking about it. I didn't really know Nathan's older brothers, only that they were seniors when I was a freshman, which made them about twenty by now. They were triplets, and lived in their own house on Catherine street. They moved there when Nathan's parents died a couple years back, and although one of the brothers fought for guardianship, Nathan ended up living with his aunt and uncle anyway.

I'd only met this one brother once, when he picked us up after school one day, but even then it was only a few short words in greeting, and that was over a year ago. So why, you ask, am I rushing to their house at nearly ten o'clock at night? I have no idea. But I knew I had to talk to somebody. I had to tell somebody. I couldn't just let him stay in a house full of people that hated him. Because they did, Jared hated him, absolutely hated him, and suddenly they were sitting in his house together? Something just wasn't right.

I stopped short when I reached his brother's house. All the lights were on, but what would she say when they opened the door? Oh hi, your brother has new friends. That just sounded pathetic. No, I would warn them. Tell them something was wrong. Ask them to check it out. I had to.

When I knocked on the door, it swung open almost immediately. My body was covered in the bright lights from the house, and I had to blink few times to adjust. I'm not sure which of his brothers had answered, but he looked down on me with cold green eyes. I took a moment to take him all in. His hair was messy and wild, and hung in a dark wavy mess around his shoulders. Muscles erupted from his chest, stretching out the fabric of his deep green shirt, his jeans dragging on the floor. He didn't need to say anything, with one look at his face I could read his question loud and clear, 'who the hell are you?'

"A-are you Matt?" I ask, his brother's name shooting into my mind. Matt was the one who wanted to have guardianship of him, he was the one I met once. I realize this is a stupid question, and change my tactics. "It's about Nathan." I say, and this time his face changes. With narrowed eyes he surveys the lawn behind me and moves aside to let me inside. Without thinking, I pace into the house, warmth covering me and caressing me like a good friend.

"Matt!" The man yells into the house, but gets no response. Cursing, he grunts something about having a seat and charges up the stairs. Lingering for a moment, I find my way to the living room and perch myself on the edge of the couch. I think about unzipping my jacket and letting the warm air fill every inch of me, but instead I leave it. The room looks like it could be homey and comforting, but for some reason it's not. There were no pictures on the wall, no lamps or plants or art. But the walls were a nice blue color, and the couches were comfy. I look out the window to where the snow was starting to come down hard.

Just as I'm getting comfortable, the man from the door comes back into the room and I jump. Only, it's not the brother from the door, it's a different one. He wears nothing but a pair of long pajama pants, and my eyes find the muscles of his chest and arms as he enters the room, taking a big swig from the carton of orange juice he carries. Without paying any attention to me, he strolls over to the cough opposite me and flicks on the TV before flopping onto the couch. My eyes linger on the set of his jaw, the sharp pierce his eyes gave off as he watched the news, and before I had a chance to look away, his brilliant green eyes catch mine and he smirks. It's a knowing smirk, one that I imagine he gives a lot. It means I'm just like every other girl. It means he's caught me checking him out. It means he finds my blush humorous. His eyes trail down my body before coming back to meet mine.

"You must be Chase." He says, eyes twinkling. He doesn't offer to shake my hand, or give me his name, but he does hold out his orange juice. Shaking my head at his offer, I wonder just how often Nathan talked about me. Shrugging he took another swig of his juice, his eyes staying on me.

"Knock it off, Damien." Another man comes into the room. Matt. He recognizes me right away, and offers a small smile. "Nice to see you again." he says, but I can't tell if he's just being polite or not. My eyes shift to the man who opened the door, who now leaned in the doorway, surveying me, not wanting me here. I was unwelcome. I was being intrusive. I felt red cover my cheeks again and focused my eyes on Matt.

"Can I talk to you about Nathan?" I ask sheepishly, still trying to figure out what I'm going to say.

"What's wrong with him?" Panic bursts through both Matt and Damien's voices all at once. Damien even abandons his juice carton and sits up, leaning in towards me.

"Well, uh," I start, but I wasn't expecting this response. I wasn't expecting all this pressure. Coming here was a huge mistake. "I went to his house earlier, just now, I just came from there actually, and well, I was going to well that doesn't matter I guess but Sam was there and-" Matt cuts me off quickly, his eyes locking with mine in such a fierce way it scared me.

"Tyler." Matt's voice is a worried command, and without saying another word, the man who answered the door was flying out of it.

"Fuck." Damien seethes, his voice rising with anger, and I jump as his fist collides with the living room wall. What kind of gang war shit had I gotten into?

"I should take you home." Matt says, his eyes were on me but I could tell his mind was somewhere else, calculating a million things at once. Suddenly I felt surrounded by secrets. Without saying another word, he leads me out into his car, one arm wrapped protectively around my back. He didn't pull me in close, or share his warmth with me, but he seemed to be holding me for a different reason. As if he'd need to push me down at a moments notice. Damien strolled on the other side of me, looking relaxed but his eyes were scanning the surrounding trees. It wasn't until I was sitting in Matt's big SUV that I had a minute to breathe. What the hell had just happened?

We pulled up outside my house minutes later, and I hesitated before getting out of the car. We were covered in darkness and for some reason it didn't really feel very safe. When Damien yanked open the door and offered me his hand, I took it. Once outside, I felt the pressure lift from my shoulders. Like the intensity from the car was gone and now it was all peace. Damien rushed me to my door, but didn't glance at me once on the way. His eyes were trained on the trees next to my house. We hadn't had a problem with the woods for a while. But before I can tell him that we're standing on my porch.

I realize that I have questions, lots of them, for starters, what the hell was going on? But before I could answer them, Damien sends me a smile and for the first time I realize he'd come this whole way without his shirt. A blush covers my face again and he stuffs his hands in the pockets of his pants. "See you tomorrow kid." He says, and jogs back to his car. I watch them drive down the block and turn the corner before I open the door to my own house. My parents are away, and the dark, silence of his house scares me for. I flick on the lights and settle down onto the couch before Damien's words sink in.

See you _tomorrow. _

_A/N~ Here's a hint guys! Nathan's brothers are NOT shape shifters/ wolves. BUT they ARE something else. _


	4. Chapter 4

I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't. It was like the darkness was watching me, and even when I flicked on my bedroom light and closed the shutters on the windows, I still felt eyes on me, burning into my skin and eating at my flesh. Eventually though, I must have drifted off, because when I awoke the next morning, my eyes were groggy with sleep.

When I reached the bathroom, I realized I hadn't turned the heat on last night, further proof that it was all real. I welcomed the cold air that chilled my bare legs, and the cold tiles that cradled my feet as I brushed my teeth. I couldn't bring myself to do anything adventurous with my hair, and settled for just throwing it up in a pony tail. It made me look younger, more innocent, like I was a child, and I hated the look, but I didn't exactly have time for any elaborate styling.

Spitting out the toothpaste, I wiped my mouth on a tissue and trudged back into the darkness of my room. I took a minute to open up the shutters and turn on the lights. When I couldn't take the cold anymore, I slipped a pair of jeans on, and settled into a pair of black boots. Tossing off my shirt, I pulled a random one out of the closet and yanked it on. It was plain and grey and it would just have to do.

I was anxious to get to school, to see Nathan, and Kim, at least I think. It may be because I'm nervous to see Nathan, and Kim, but what did it matter? Either way I had to go.

Rushing down the stairs, I reach into the closet and slip on a black jacket as an afterthought before bracing myself for the cold and jetting into my car. I had to wait a few minutes for the engine to start, and in that time I managed to find a few peanut butter crackers in the glove compartment, after rinsing them down with the bottle of water from yesterday, that was oddly warm despite the cold weather, I was ready to go.

As soon as I got to first period, I realized what Damien had meant about seeing me tomorrow. My History teacher was absent, and in his place was Tyler, the door guy from the night before. I stand in shock for a minute before finding my seat. He glowers at me from his desk, and turns to eye the other students coming in.

He was the substitute, I knew that just by looking at him. The button down shirt, the loose fitting dark jeans. Girls moved past him in groups and giggles, some even openly staring at him, others secretly talking with their friends. He was the best looking teacher we'd ever had, and the youngest, but I couldn't imagine him being able to teach a class. He was so mean the night before. So unwelcoming, so hostile, and it was the scowl on his face that made me realize right away that he was Tyler, and not Matt or Damien. Speaking of the two, they trotted into the classroom and towards their brother.

It was weird how easily I could tell them apart now, after just one meeting. Matt wore a janitor's suit, the blue full body suit looked nice on him, with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows, and his hands cast naturally in his pockets. He looked humble, ready for work. Damien on the other hand looked anything but. He wore the same suit, except it was unzipped, and the top half was pulled down so that he could tie the sleeves around his waist, and show off his plain white undershirt that hugged his muscles. A lollipop hung carelessly from his mouth, while one hand was jammed in his pocket, the other swirling a ring of keys. He looked to the back of the class at the large group of girls there and winked.

I snorted to myself, but he looked at me anyway, a smile playing at his lips. The three talk quietly for a minute before the bell rings, and Matt and Damien exit the class. Was this about Nathan, were they here to watch over him? Make sure Jared stays away from their little brother? Make sure he doesn't get picked on? But wasn't that taking it to the extreme?

"Hey Harley, nice face." Mark, a boy who sits next to me and makes it his goal to push my buttons, chuckles out, exchanging high fives with his friends like he'd made the best joke ever.

"Sorry, you're not my type." I roll my eyes at him, glad that Tyler was at the front of the room writing on the board, or else I was sure he'd yell at me for talking in class. It seemed like he was dying for the opportunity.

History class was a blur of raised hands and Tyler scolding different girls all period for asking him questions after question about his personal life. Did he have a girl friend? Was he married? Did he want kids? Were his brothers single? What triplet was he? Could they read each others minds? The scowl never left his face the whole class, and I let out a sigh of relief when the class ended. I'd get to go to Study hall next. It was a class I shared with Nathan and Kim, and even though Paul was in it, he never seemed to bother with me in there before, but maybe today I could get him to tell me what Jared was doing with Nathan.

"Hey," I say, quiet enough for just Paul to hear, and sit down across from him at the table he occupied.

He glanced up, seemingly caught off guard. "Want to tell me what the hell is going on?" He practically spits at me, his face becoming red fast. I was taken back a moment. What the hell was he talking about? "Don't sit there with your mouth hanging open, you look stupid." He says, and glances around the room again. I feel my lips snap together and narrow my eyes at him.

"What are you and Jared doing with Nathan?" I ask, the accusation clear in my voice.

"Me?" He stares at me for a minute, as if he's trying to figure something out. "I don't know what's going on either. One minute we're flinging peas into Jackie Clens hair and the next minute he's saying we're not friends anymore." Paul says, and I realize that neither of the boys we speak of are here. Neither of them came to school today. Both of them are missing. My brows furrow at Paul's words, an I take a minute to decide if I should trust him.

"Same thing happened with Nathan last night. It's just weird." I say as I watch Kim walk into the library and look around for me. She's got that perplexed look on her face like she always got when she had a fight with her parents the night before. And as much as I loved her, I really didn't feel like hearing about her family problems at the moment. Luckily, she was sidetracked watching Damien stroll through the library, swinging keys and whistling a catchy tune. Not even the librarian was hushing him, and I wondered where Matt was. Off doing the required work load I'm sure.

"So you don't know what's going on?" Paul asks again scrutinizing my face for answers.

"I was hoping you did." I admit, and cross my arms over my chest. I pull away from the table and relieve Kim from her misery. I call out to her, and we sit at our own table. As she starts to ramble about her mother being a crazy bitch, I let my mind wander. My eyes find Paul across the room, and for a moment I get that pity feeling for him again.

Without Jared, he sat all alone. And, because he never really studied, he was stuck sitting around watching everyone else laugh and work and chat. "We should go sit with him." I tell Kim, and she looks at me sourly. Whether because I interrupted her rant, or because she didn't like the suggestion I wasn't sure. But she packed up her things anyway and led the way to his table, plopping down and setting her things back up on the table.

"We were just talking about what movie to see tonight, know anything good?" Kim asks him, like he's one of our good friends and knows everything about movies. Like he's Nathan.

Paul just looks at us blankly so Kim shrugs and turns back to me. "I think that new space one looks good. Or maybe we should just grab something to eat, I've been craving Italian food for days. It's my p-e-r-I-o-d craving it if you know what I mean." She says as if Paul can't spell, and I feel my cheeks blush a dark pink.

"Sounds fun." Paul comments, and I look at him. Was he making conversation? Or asking for an invite? Grimacing a bit, I offer for him to come.

"I'd love to." He says, not breaking eye contact with me. Obviously he didn't get that I was just being nice.

"Ugh," Kim groans obnoxiously, completely oblivious to the awkward situation. She twirls a piece of hair around her finger and stares down at her text book.

When the bell rings after a couple minutes of awkward silence, I jet out of the room and finish my classes in a haze of homework and projects.

"Chase!" A voice calls and it takes me a minute to recognize it before I turn around.

"Matt?" I ask, but then a sly grin slips onto the guys face and I realize it's Damien. He's changed into a pair of jeans, but his white tee shirt still clings to him as he jogs to catch up with me.

"Hey, Matt actually wanted me to come tell you thanks or whatever for yesterday. And Sorry he threw you out like we did." The apology seems strange but I nod and smile anyway, because I can't seem to find words when I'm around these triplets. "Anyway, you should come by tonight or something. Matt's making you a big dinner." A grin crept up his face again and I had to stop myself from staring at him.

"Sure thanks." I blurt and watch his retreating form before I climb into my car and pull out of the parking lot.


	5. Chapter 5

Paul and Kim were already at the restaurant when I got there. When Kim caught my eye she gave me a look that was somewhere in between exasperated and relieved. I could tell an awkward silence had crept up between them and they had somehow worked it into their minds that I would change that.

"So did you order without me?" I joke as I settle myself down into my seat and pick up the menu.

"Hope you don't mind." Paul said, but I could tell that he could really care less. I wanted to ask him why he was here, why he was being seen with us, but instead I let it go and ordered a bowl of spaghetti.

I listened to Kim's chatter about how she had nothing to wear, which quickly changed into a rant about her mother again, and I had to fight to pay attention to her. She just made it so damn hard. I was more focused on how nasty my food tasted, though. I could hardly eat any, and luckily Paul paid the bill because otherwise I would have wasted a whole ten bucks. Which wasn't really much, but I was thinking of all the ways I could use this ten dollars to buy me some coffee on the way home. My parents would be home by now, but I had no desire to go see them. Especially because it was only seven and I'd have nothing to do for the rest of the night.

"It was nice to see you." Paul says, his hands crammed into the pockets of his jeans. Kim had left us a few minutes ago to head off into her own car. I could imagine her arriving home and having another fight with her mom. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and offered Paul a smile.

"Yeah it was fun we should do it again." I say and almost cringe at his smirk. That came out wrong. God dammit, I was just trying to be nice.

"If you say so." He says, and shuffles on his way towards his own car. I try to think of what Paul would do for the rest of the night, but I come up short. What does he do in his free time? Kick puppies? Impregnate the school? I didn't really want to think about it.

Hopping in my own car, I peeled from the parking lot and started on my way home. Halfway there I felt my stomach groan in hunger. I thought about what Damien had said earlier about Matt making dinner for me, and made the next turn onto their street without a second thought. When I reached the door, it took a while to open unlike last time. Matt opened the door this time, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"Sorry, am I early? Damien said you were cooking dinner for me and…" I trailed off, noticing his half opened eyes, his more messy than usual hair, his dark green plaid pajama pants, and the grey tee shirt he wore.

"Damien said so, hm? I bet he did." Matt gave an amused smile and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Well, am I the only one who dresses for company anymore?" Damien asks, descending from the steps behind the doorway wearing a white button down, black slacks, and a black vest. If I knew him better I would have rolled my eyes or gave him a laugh, but I didn't so I just grimaced and folded my arms over myself.

"I didn't, uhm, I'll just go-"

"No, no," Matt waves away my words, and motions me into the house. He closes the door behind me and I follow Damien into the kitchen while Matt takes my coat and hangs it over their railing.

Tyler looks up at me over his pile of textbooks and a scowl replaces his peaceful expression. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asks bitterly, and I can hear the venom in his voice.

"Don't mind him he's always like this." Damien rolls his eyes and sits next to me at the table. Matt enters the kitchen next, and stands awkwardly for a minute, wiping his hands on the front of his pants.

"Right, you're probably hungry, right?" He asks, and turns towards the cabinets to fish out something to eat.

"We have no food, dumbass." Tyler huffs in aggravation, and Matt grimaces when he opens cabinet after cabinet and finds them all bare and that Tyler was right. Opening the fridge, he reveals jug after jug of orange juice, and sort of smiles to himself as he yanks a carton from the fridge and pours me a cup.

"So what are you guys doing at the school?" I blurt out. Good thing I had a good hold on the cup because Matt drops it at my question. I pull the glass closer to me, my fingers locking around the cool surface.

"Just keeping an eye on things." Damien says, pushing his chair back to rest on two legs as he watches me take a sip.

"None of you fucking business really." Tyler mutters to himself, and Matt whacks the back of his head. His words still sting though, and I can feel that I really should be going.

"I really should be going." I say, gulping down the rest of the juice and pushing it onto the hard wooden table. "Thanks for having me. I can find my way out." I say and walk to the door, but Matt follows behind me anyway.

"He's not so bad really just doesn't like strangers." Matt defends his brother, but I just shrug anyway.

"I have a lot of homework anyway." I admit, because I do, and I really shouldn't be going anywhere today. Instead of going straight home though, I head for the cliffs. I pick a spot that's too high up to jump from. But it was nice to look down at if you dared to go close enough to the edge. I didn't. Too many people had died here and I wasn't hoping to be one of them.

"It's dangerous up here." Someone calls, and I don't have to turn around to know that it's Paul. I want to say duh, or no kidding, or oh I had no idea, or something else sarcastic to get under his skin, but instead I sit. Just sit. "It's nice though." he says, and I don't have to agree out loud, because who wouldn't agree?

"Yeah, it's nice." I offer him anyway, and lay back to stare at the sky. It's too cold out here and my face goes numb as well as my feet, but then Paul lays next to me and I don't feel so cold after all. When it's getting too dark to see, I figure I've had enough. The last thing I needed was to go slipping on some ice up here and plummeting into the freezing waters. "You coming?" I ask the spot where I'm guessing Paul is laying, though I can hardly see him.

"Not yet." He says softly, like he's in a trance, or having the time of his life. I don't argue with him though, and start on my way down the path towards my house. "See you tomorrow." He calls to me through the wind, and I let a smile slip onto my face at the thought.


	6. Chapter 6

"Where were you?" My mom assaults me as I step through the beck door and into our kitchen. In retrospect, I probably should have been quieter, or at least tried to be sneaky about it.

"I was out with Kim." I shrug, which isn't really a lie, because I WAS out with her, just not recently. She's already ignoring me though, elbow deep in a huge bowl of cupcake batter. She owned a catering business, and she had people to do all the cooking for her, but for some reason she always took care of the baked goods section herself. I went to school for eight years to become a pastry chef, she would say, I'm not about to waste it on account of that man. By that man, she meant my father. He went to the same college, only he went for business school. He opened the catering company with my mother a couple years back and now they traveled around most of the time, going out of the state for conventions, and to cater weddings.

I liked it this way though, too much of someone got annoying, and with their busy schedule, I got a good dose of them for a few days each week.

"Come grab a spoon." She says, running her hand across her forehead and smudging flour there. I refuse though, and say I'm tired instead, before heading up to my room. Baking was my mother's therapy. Maybe it could be mine too, but I never really tried it, so instead I just strip off my clothes and curl up under the covers of my bed.

I picture Paul, sprawled out on the cliff, his eyes closed, palm facing the sky. Then I picture him standing up, walking towards the path down the hill, but he's walking to wrong way, and suddenly, he loses his balance and goes tumbling down into the darkness of the splashing waves. I shake my head of these thoughts. Why should I care anyway?

Anger surges through me when I think of Damien. He'd lied to me about the dinner, and I actually believed him. I showed up and oh God, how embarrassing. I felt my cheeks flush at the thought. They didn't seem right to me. Something was off about them. They were hiding something, I could tell. So was Nathan. What if he was dead? What if they'd gone after Jared? What if they'd killed him? What if they were trying to bury the body?

Suddenly, my skin crawls, and I feel like I'm being watched again, in the darkness of this room. When I wake the next morning, goose bumps erupt on my skin. I head to the bathroom like usual, and stare at myself in the mirror as I brush my teeth. My eyes seemed puffier than usual from sleep, my hair looked healthier today though, so I pulled it out of the pony tail and shook my head until it framed my face. Spitting out the toothpaste, I rush down the steps to my father sitting at the table. He was weird looking next to my mother. Bespectacled, and thin, and light skinned, where my mother stands reading an invitation we received in the mail, her skin dark, her body plump with too many baked goods, and her messy mop of black hair.

"Going to school in your pajamas?" My mother asks, and it takes me a minute to figure out what she's saying. She's saying I should be getting ready because I should leave for school now. She means that I don't get to use her car today, and that I will be walking. I don't argue with her though, and istead just turn back up the steps. I had too much on my mind to fight over small things. The walk would do me good anyway, I needed to stretch my legs.

I throw on a simple blue dress, because I'm feeling too lazy to struggle into jeans and pick out a nice shirt. I go out the front door now, so that I don't have to see my parents again. Like I said, I could only handle them in small doses. I start down the road towards the school. It wasn't a far one, but it was a good ten blocks that I just didn't feel like walking. I'm about three blocks into my hike when a row of cars zooms by me, the morning rush of people. I glance over at every car, wondering if I'll see Kim and catch a ride.

"Get on." A rough voice calls and I glance behind me to see Damien riding along on a motorcycle. It's not as beaten up as most of the ones around here, but it doesn't look particularly safe either. "Don't make me get off and walk all the way there with you." He urges me.

I feel my eyebrows shoot up and try to smooth out my face. "Am I going to be too heavy?" I worry, eyeing the bike.

"I've had lots of girls on here before, and nothing's ever happened to them." He says, like it's no big deal. And I wasn't a big deal, so why was I thinking he was being anything other than nice? Because you barely know him, a voice yelled at me, but I slid my leg over the seat anyway and took the helmet he offered me.

"Isn't fraternizing with the students against the rules or something?" I grin, though he can't see it. I look at his back, trying to figure out where exactly I should put my hands. He laughs out loud, and it's such a great sound that I wasn't expecting it at all. He reaches back and takes my hands, wrapping them tightly around his waist.

"Just don't let go." He says, and revs up the bike. He speeds down the road and I take a minute to think how I feel about all this. I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel giddy or butterflies or anything. Here I was, my body pressed up against this older boy's body, my hands gripping at his chest, and I didn't feel anything weird. And although I knew he was doing all this just to get a blush, or a rise out of me, it wasn't really doing anything.

I realize with a blush that I felt more girly and excited last night just laying next to Paul on the cliffs. "Chase?" Damien's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. He coughs awkwardly, and my cheeks swarm with red when I realize we've stopped yet my arms were still locked around my waist. "Not in public, Hun." He winks at me, standing up and helping me off the bike. He wears the janitor's suit the same way he wore it yesterday, and offered me one of his lollipops before popping one in his mouth.

"Thanks." I say, taking a pop, though I doubt I'll eat it. "Where's Matt?" I ask, and he frowns at me, glancing around us.

"He stayed home today we had some…things to take care of. But Tyler's here." He says with a smile, knowing I won't like that very much.

"I want to come over tonight." I say abruptly, catching his arm as he's walking away. He turns to me with one brown raised, and gives me a once over.

"Are you trying to hit on me?" He seems amused, like it would be hilarious if I was. I narrow my eyes because I most definitely am NOT hitting on ANYbody. "I don't think that's such a good idea." He says eventually, his face darkening.

"Why not?" I press. What was he hiding? What were they keeping from me? And if it was Jared's dead body, well, I should call the cops, right? But I should make sure that's the case first.

"You're a little young to be hanging around a bunch of twenty one year olds, aren't you? People will get suspicious." He tries to play the kid card, but I can tell that's not the real reason. He really needed to work on his excuses.

"Go out with me." I blurt quickly, though it's technically illegal because I wasn't eighteen yet, and I was starting to really dislike him. He found this hilarious apparently, and when his laughter died down, he met my eyes in a way that said I was too much.

"Tell you what, you and Tyler can go get dinner." He grins at my frown.

"I'll bring cupcakes over tonight." I say blandly, and push past him into the school. He follows behind me, and doesn't argue. I guess my mom's cooking finally comes in handy, especially when I remember being at their house the other day, and them having no food in the house.


	7. Chapter 7

By the end of the day, I was seriously considering skipping going to the triplet's house all together. I was still ticked from being scolded in History first period when Kim thought she'd stop into the classroom and ask why I wasn't answering her texts. Tyler didn't appreciate that much.

Still, I had nothing better to do. Paul wasn't in any of the classes we had together, instead he sat in the councilor's office for most of the day. God knows what they were talking about, and I didn't want to care enough to ask.

I stopped home to grab a tray of my moms cupcakes from the fridge, but didn't stay around long enough for her to come home and catch me in the act. I drove to the triplet's house faster than usual. Sitting in the car outside a while, I finally stepped out into the snow and rushed up to the house, the cold air biting my legs.

Tyler answered the door. His hair was pushed away from his face, he was still wearing the button down he wore in class today, but the tie that was tightly secured around his neck was now untied and resting lazily around his collar. "I'm going to fucking kill him." He grunts out, but lifts the tin foil cover of the cupcakes. After taking a look, a frown forms on his face and he snatches the tray from my hands before waving me inside. "She can't stay long." He says to Damien as they pass each other on Tyler's way into the kitchen with the cupcakes.

"Chase, what a surprise!" Damien says, says, acting shocked as if he had no idea I'd be coming. "I'll make coffee." He says with a grin, waving me into the house and closing the door behind me. We sit in the kitchen, and Matt joins us seconds later. Set up with a hot cup of coffee and a cupcake, we sat at the table and I watched them talk. They seemed casual, laid back and friendly. Even Tyler seemed to be able to forget my presence and gulp down two more cupcakes. It doesn't take me long to remember why I came. It was so easy to lose myself around these guys. They were so captivating. So hard to figure out.

"D'you make these?" Matt asks around a bite. I explain about my parents, and the business, and how I had no skills. They seemed interested though, and when I was done, I felt like I should keep talking, like I should keep contributing to the conversation.

A knock at the door startles me, saving me from the awkward silence that was about to start. "I have to pee." I state, looking at Matt.

"Up the stairs, first door on the right." I don't ask if he means my right, or his right, instead I just head for the steps at the same time they all get up to go answer the door.

I pause at the top of the steps, listening when I hear my name. "She can't stay here. She's not as stupid as you think." Tyler was saying to Damien, his voice rough and angry. Was that a compliment? Or an insult? Why did it sound like such a bad thing?

"I like her. We finally have something different to talk about these days." Damien defends, as Matt opens the door.

I peek behind me, and all breath leaves my lungs as I see who's on the other side of the door. It's Nathan. But his hair is chopped off, his chest exposed, as well as his feet, despite the cold weather. At first I'm expecting Matt and the rest to cry. To pull him in and hug him and give him the shirts off their backs. But instead, Matt's harsh voice assaults him, scaring me.

"Get out of here, Nathan." He seethes, his body squaring to block the door way.

"And take your friends with you. You can't have her." Tyler growls out. For a minute I'm taken back, were they talking about me? That couldn't be it. Why would they want me? Why would they refuse Nathan if he wanted to see me?

My legs move forward, and I distance myself from the scene down the stairs. I push through the closest door to me, and stop short. The room is mostly white, with a small bed, decorated with pink covers and stuffed animals littering the floor. My eyes catch the mop of brown hair that faces away from me, looking down out the window onto the front lawn. My mouth opens, but nothing comes out.

The girl that turns towards me is small, no older than eight. Her face is calm, and beautiful, and I feel my heart stop at the sight of her. Her dark hair frames her soft face, the her skin so pale that it almost matched the white night gown she wore. Her eyes were so brown they almost looked red. She made no advance toward me, only narrowed her eyes, her deep red lips parting as her head tilted slightly.

"Are you for me?" Her voice is like chimes, soft and calm, and it reminds me of the snow. I can't speak. Can't think straight. She takes a step toward me, a smile creeping up onto her face. "You smell…" She trailed off, taking another step forward.

"What are you doing?" Tyler's voice assaults me rough and hot and hard. He grabs my forearm, yanking me away and reaches into the room, pulling the door closed without glancing at the girl inside.

"Who was that?" I ask, and I realize I'm shaking. I take a breath and hold it. Why the hell was I so scared all of a sudden? It was just a little girl.

"Get her the hell out of here!" Tyler screams in Damien's face, shoving me into him. His arms lock around me, his eyes wild as they analyze Tyler. Color seems to drain from his face, and he looks down at me, all humor gone from his expression. I'd never seen him so serious before, and I could tell I'd done something seriously wrong.

"I'll take you home." He says, and I can't think of anything to say until we're sitting on his motorcycle pulling out of the driveway.

"I don't want to go home." I admit, but I'm not sure if he hears me over the roar of his bike. He makes a sharp turn onto my street, and I feel my stomach sink at the thought of being alone in my house again, alone to think about what just happened. It seemed to be a new hobby these days.

"Come on, I'll come watch you." He says, and catches himself, and looks at me, "I mean with you. I'll go in with you. We can get a pizza or something." he says, and helps me off the bike. That sounded good.

Anything sounded good, as long as I didn't have to be alone.


	8. Chapter 8

There's something weird about having Damien in my house. Nathan was in here plenty of times, yet this seemed different. We walked into the kitchen where my parents sat across from each other, plates set with chicken and potatoes in front of them. They froze when I walked into the kitchen, Damien right on my heels. My mother composed herself first, giving a little cough as she lowered her fork back to her plate.

I could feel my face heat, and I searched my mind for some explanation. He was obviously older, obviously very good looking, obviously very polite. I realize this last thing when he moves around me and walk towards my parents, to my father first, his hand held out for a shake. "Hello sir, my name's Damien, it's so nice to finally meet you." My father appraised him for a minute, looking at the hand he held out. For a minute I thought he wouldn't touch him, and readied myself to apologize for my dad's rudeness, but at the last minute, he does reach out and grip Damien's hand, giving him a hard shake.

I want to tell them it's not what they think, that he's not even a friend, let alone someone like THAT. But instead my mother stands and gives him a bright smile. "Well," She says, giving me a pointed look that either said 'who is this boy, why is he here, and why haven't I heard of him?' or 'good job, he's cute.' I tried not to think about her hidden meanings. "Have a seat Dominic, I'll set another plate." She walks to the cabinet and pulls out another one, setting it down across from where I would be sitting. I think about protesting, telling them I had homework or something, but before I can Damien takes a seat and starts loading his plate with chicken. Frowning I do the same.

"Damien." I say to my mother when she sits down again, thinking of just a few seconds ago when she had called him Dominic. I cringe after the words slip out. Now I was defending his honor? There was no chance I'd be able to deny I had something with him after this.

"Right." She smiles at him, but he didn't seem to mind. "So, Damien," She says, flipping hair out of her face and sizing him up. "How old are you?"

Way to be subtle mom. I blush when he looks at me, but doesn't seem to be phased by the question. Who was this polite guy sitting across from me? He sat up straight, he cut his chicken calmly, he pretended not to see my dad's glare.

"Twenty one, ma'am." He smiles at her, as if to say 'age is just a number.' "Can you pass the potatoes?" He grins at her. She seems flustered from his question, or maybe it was his bright smile that flustered her, like it did the girls at school. To her credit, she quickly recovered and handed over the bowl of mashed potatoes.

"He's Nathan's brother. He was just driving me home." I explain, finding my voice for the first time. I watch my mother's shoulders relax a bit, but I can't tell if she buys it or not.

"One of the triplets?" Her brows shoot up, giving way to any composure she had. Everyone had at least heard about them. They had that kind of look about them, and it wasn't like it was one unforgettably good face, it was three of them. They were hard to forget. Or to get rid of apparently.

"Unfortunately." Damien says, and groans comically, before bursting into a story about a time when Tyler was in high school and decided to prank one of the teachers, and he got stuck with the blame for it. My parents were in stitches by the end, my father was relaxed and interested, my mother was practically falling over herself to smile and bat her lashes at him.

He glances at me when my mother stands to carry out our dinner plates, and sends me a wink. He jumps right up to help her, taking the cake she made last night from her hands and carrying it to the table for her. After multiple compliments and comments about how good dinner was, and how delicious desert looked, we all settled in the table again and I watched as each of them ate their deserts. I was way too full to even consider it.

"I should really go." He says, standing from the table full of my laughing parents, and gesturing for me to walk him to the door. "Thanks for having me." He nods to my parents, and follows me to the front door.

"What the hell was that?" I ask, my brow cocked. He shrugged and laughed.

"I can be nice!" He defends, a grin on his face. "Besides, I can't pass up food." His words seem to sink deep into my skin. I remember his empty cabinets, the fridge filled only with orange juice, the way Tyler reacted when he saw I held cupcakes. Were things really that bad at his house that they couldn't even afford food to fill their bellies? I think about rushing into the kitchen and packing up all the leftovers for him, but before I can offer, he'd opened the door and stepped out into the cold weather. "Lock the door after me." He says, turning around, and smiling at me. I roll my eyes as if to say no duh. He grins at me, flipping up his collar and bracing himself against the winds.

"Who was that girl?" I ask, leaning against the door frame and crossing my arms over myself for warmth.

"What girl?" He asks, his brows pulled together. I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was bluffing or not. He knew what girl, he had to.

"Thanks for coming." I say, before he walks away, and he glances back at me, sending me a wink before jogging off towards his bike. I close the door behind him, and lock it like he asks.

I should have pressed him about the little girl. I couldn't have imagined her, I just couldn't have. She was so real, so frightening. When I finally laid in bed that night, freshly showered, and dressed in a ridiculous banana covered pajama set, I put a face to the eyes I always felt watching me in the dark. I was afraid to close my eyes, afraid to let myself fall asleep. I could see her in the dark corners of my room, I could see her red lips, and her pale skin, and her red eyes. I couldn't have imagined her.

I sat in the back of the history class, waiting for Tyler to come in and scold me for being dressed inappropriately for school. It was too hot in here though, with the heat finally kicking in, the sweater I wore was too much, and the tank top underneath was the only thing keeping me from stripping completely, so he would just have to deal with it.

It was odd though, when he strolled in looking happier than usual, and when he finally met my eyes, he sent me a wink. Jumping slightly, I narrowed my eyes at him. He looked just like Tyler. He dressed just like him. But he didn't smile like him. "Free period." His voice rang out through the class, and the students immediately rearranged their desks to face each other.

"I want to invite myself over for dinner tonight." He grins, sitting himself on the edge of my desk.

"Damien?" I whisper, though it's more of a statement than a question. He doesn't answer though, and I realize what he's said. "I don't think my parents would like that." I frown at the thought of him coming over tonight. In truth, my parents weren't going to be home in general, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

He shrugs, not seeming to be phased. "Nice shirt." He grins, and leaves me to go sit at Tyler's desk, his feet resting on top of the desk, he closed his eyes.

For a minute I wanted to go up to him and whack the back of his head. To ask why he was pretending to be Tyler, or press him about that little girl in his house. I felt anger bolt through me, like I should defend her, fight for her independence. I'd never seen her before, Nathan had never mentioned her, just how often did they keep her trapped in that room? Then again, there wasn't exactly a lock on her door.

"Trying to picture me naked?" Damien asks, noticing the concentrated look on my face. He was leaning on my desk and I hadn't even noticed.

"I thought you were taking a nap?" I quirk a brow at him, but honestly, I don't care about his sleeping habits.

"I got bored." He shrugs, and reaches out his hand to brush his thumb along my cheek bone. I spring from my seat so fast that he jumps. I stare at him for a second, and he stares back. For some reason that small gesture seemed way to personal, way too provocative.

"I gotta pee." I announce, and some girls sitting in the desks next to mine start to giggle. I leave the class though without his permission or the restroom pass.

"Fancy seeing you here." Paul's voice calls from down the hall. I turn to look at him, and offer a tiny smile of my own. "Figured I'd see you roaming the halls." He says when he falls into step beside me.

"Why?" I blabber out, a little surprised. I wasn't one to skip classes.

"Cause of Kim and Jared being all…together. If he wasn't trying hard to ignore me already, he was really going out of his way now. I'm going home anyway." He shrugs like he doesn't care, but I know he does, because I do. I pretend this isn't the first time I've heard of this. That my best friend hadn't kept something like who she was dating from me.

"Yeah me too." I say, deciding I might as well do the same. "Wanna walk with me?" I offer. I was planning go taking a short cut through the woods that let out next to my house, but I really didn't feel like making the track alone.

He jumps at the offer, but doesn't say anything until we're past the outskirts of the trees and surrounded by the plush green. "I didn't know about Kim." I admit, and sound more upset about it than I wanted to.

"I wouldn't worry these things usually don't last with him." Paul reassures, but instead it makes me feel worse. Did that mean he was just using Kim? Frowning, I focused on the sound of my feet crunching snow.

"Not so great without your friends, huh?" A voice assaults us. I snap my head to see the man staring at Paul. The man was tall and pale, and reminded me of someone. Those red lips, those red eyes, that paper white skin. Everything thing inside me screamed run, but I couldn't think to do that much. It was only a man standing before me but my gut, my instincts, were telling me to run. "Don't play dumb, I can smell you a mile away." He says to Paul, and I look up at him, but his face is scrunched and confused like mine usually was. Was he making a personal hygiene insult? What was he in second grade?

I'm about to say something, to tell him we don't know him, or that he was blocking the way, but before I could the man's head snapped to the right, listening.

Three bears burst through the trees, surrounding the man, growling snapping, furious. I look up at Paul but he looks just as shocked as I did. I should help this man trapped in the middle, right? I couldn't just stand here watching him being attacked by wild animals, could I? Even if he was a jerk. Even if he planned on robbing them or worse.

But he ran, ran so fast I couldn't even see him go, and the animals, wolves, I could see that now, chased after him. I looked to Paul for answers, but he only stared back at me, his eyes weird, pleading, odd. And I can read every word in them. Suddenly I can picture the tribe's legends in my head. Suddenly I can picture the man, I can picture the little girl horded up in a bedroom in the triplet's house. Tyler's voice strong and clear, 'You can't have her.' She could see the little girl's face, her red lips, her red eyes.

She knew.


	9. Chapter 9

I didn't bother telling Paul where I was going, or what I was going to do, I just took off running. While I ran, I kicked off my sneakers, quickening my speed and abandoning them somewhere in the grass as I high jacked it for the triplet's house. Paul followed behind me, making my fast speed look somewhat effortless, though he fell behind for a second to kick his own shoes off.

"Stop," He was calling me, "Stop, where are you going?" But I couldn't stop now. Not with a million questions racing through my mind. If I didn't see the triplets right now I would die, I just knew it. I needed to know, for sure. But that little girl's face flashed behind my eyes again. Her pale skin, those red, red eyes. A whimper escapes me, but I'm not sure if it's from fear or the cold.

"Damien!" I'm screaming so loud my throat catches fire as I near the house. Paul stops short when we get close, and I hesitate for a second. He looks at me, his eyes wild.

"Do you smell that?" He asks, than his head whips toward the house, to the upstairs window, where the girl is. He looks back to me, his brows furrowed like he doesn't quite understand.

Before I can ask what he means, Tyler comes flying off the porch, Matt and Damien jumping off the porch behind him. For a minute, I don't think he notices me, then his eyes flick down and his angry face wavers into uncertainty. He was like an angry mother defending his young. Or, I think, a father defending his daughter.

"What-?" I begin to ask, but Tyler cuts me off before I can even begin.

"Get her out of here." He's yelling at Damien, who is still staring down Paul. When Tyler realizes that his brother's aren't moving, he turns his attention back to Paul. "Tell your friends they can't have her. Tell Nathan." Tyler says, so low I almost can't hear him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Paul says, but I can tell that he has a theory. He knew more about the legends then I did. No way he didn't suspect Sam Uley and his friends of being exactly what the legends said they should be- especially after he saw those wolves burst through the trees. They were fast, but he saw them. And they chased after that man, that pale, red eyed man, just like the girl upstairs. Paul wasn't stupid. "I'm not one of them." He says, but it sounds weird coming from his mouth.

"Paul, get out of here." I say, low and frightened, and Damien's worried eyes flick to mine. "Get out." I yell, and shove at his chest. And he does leave, and then I'm alone, huffing and staring at Tyler, who is looking at me with nothing but hatred.

"Can I come in?" I say low to Matt, moving closer to him, and fidgeting with the hem of my hoodie. IT was starting to rain, one of those harsh storms that start fast and hard, with little warning. He bites his lip, and opens his mouth, but Tyler looks around at the trees and meets my eyes.

"Get inside." He yells over the pounding of the rain, and Damien rushes to me, putting an arm around me and hurrying me into the house. Once inside, I pull my hoodie to me. I was nearly soaked, and my feet were covered in mud, that I attempted to wipe on the mat at the door. Tyler closes the door behind us, and the rain turns to a faded noise behind us. He stares at me for a minute, and then looks to his brothers.

"Why don't you go sit in the kitchen?" Damien says, and gives a pointed look. "I'll get you some dry clothes." I oblige, and sit on the edge of the chair. I can hear them whispering in the hall and strain to hear their words.

"They won't hurt us with her here…" Tyler was saying, and I watched Damien's face get red.

"You can't keep her here…..sitting duck….just a girl….."And I couldn't make out anything further. I jump when Matt comes in with a pair of sweat pants and a soft tee shirt. I think about going upstairs, but the thought frightens me too much. That girl was up there. That THING was up there.

"I'll leave so you can change." Matt says, and when he's gone I change faster than I ever have, making sure no one took a peak.

"Who is she?" I say strongly, when they all come in the kitchen and Tyler pours himself a scotch. He gulps it down and pours himself another before sitting across from me at the table and pinching the bridge of his noise, as if I irritated him beyond belief. "Who. Is. She?" I say louder, and his piercing eyes meet mine.

"She's my daughter." He says, but it's softer than I thought it would have been. "That girl," he pauses, and stares at me for a minute, as if he was letting it sink in, "is my daughter." His voice cracks and Damien drags the chair next to me out to sit down, making me jump.

"But she's..." I start to say, not wanting to finish the sentence. But I don't have to, because Tyler nods anyway.

"Yeah." He says drily. "Yeah, she is." For a minute I think he might cry, but then his eyes get cold and hard again, and gulps the rest of his scotch before pouring another. Matt pours one for himself and huffs.

"How?" I ask. It's simple, but it's such a loaded question I expect him not to answer.

"My high school sweetheart had the kid, I didn't even know about it, but once she was born she gave her to me. Said she wanted nothing to do with a baby." He shook his head like he couldn't imagine anyone giving her up. "And then that _thing_," He slams his glass down fiercely and his words pierce the air. "She's just a kid, you know? And it was, was, was, _drinking_ her. _Changing_ her." He looks at me, like he was pleading with me for his life. "What was I supposed to do? She's my _daughter_. She doesn't kill anyone. I swear it, she doesn't kill anyone, she doesn't I swear." He tells me through gritted teeth. I notice how tired and red his eyes are, how low and intense his voice is.

He stares at me until I begin to fidget, and glance at Damien, waiting for him to laugh and tell me it's all a joke, and make fun of me for being so gullible. But he doesn't. No one does. Thunder cracks outside the window and I jump.

After a moment, I find my voice. "I want to meet her." I say strongly, but it's soft. Tyler stares at me a minute.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Damien begins to say, but Tyler cuts him off.

"No," He holds a hand up to his brother, moving closer to me. "If anyone can convince them she's harmless it's her. She's an imprint."

His words seem to throw me back against a brick wall. Imprint? Me? No, I barely even knew any of the…wolves? Gang? That was impossible. He sees the disbelief in my face and turns to me.

"That boy you were with tonight. If he really isn't one of them, then he hasn't turned yet, but he will. And he'll imprint on you. I just know it. I've studied them for years, now, and I just know it." Tyler assures me, and I can't argue with him. What did I know of imprints and wolves and vampires.

"Last chance to tell me it's a joke." I say to Damien, who grins at me, as we stand and Tyler begins leading the way out of the kitchen, up the stairs, to the girl's room.


	10. Chapter 10

I feel Damien's hand on the small of my back like a branding iron as Tyler opens the door to the little girl's room. He steps inside with Matt, but I hesitate. Matt turns to me and holds his hand out. I look to Tyler who nods in reassurance, but he has a grimace on his face, as if he's not so sure about all this. Neither was I.

I step onto the white shag carpet, staining the area with mud that was still on my feet from running outside in the rain. The little girl doesn't look menacing anymore, clad in her Barbie nightgown, and staring out the window into the darkness with scared eyes.

"They're out there watching me, aren't they." She says, in a small bell voice, but it's not a question, it's a statement, because she already knows the answer. Then she meets my eyes, and gives me a sad smile.

"I told you not to go near the window." Tyler scolds her softly, hurrying around the room picking up crayons that were left everywhere. A bolt of lightening makes me jump, and the girl giggles at me.

"I'm Chase." I tell her, because I can't think of anything else to say, and everyone was looking at me expectantly. I consider holding out my hand to her, but it seems awkward, like I should just be treating her like any other kid. At the thought, I fall to one knee, and smile at her, like I would do with the neighbor's kids. Then, I hold out my hand, and she takes it.

"Natalie." She smiles and takes my hand, and I notice the creamy caramel of her eyes. She reads the surprise on my face. " They change when I feed." She explains, but her words make me feel uneasy. There just wasn't something right about the word feed.

"How?" I ask. I'd been asking that a lot lately.

"We take turns." Matt says, rolling up his sleeve to show the white bandage wrapped around his arm. "No one else needs to get hurt." He says, and I stand again, mostly because his words don't completely convince me. I watch Natalie and Tyler sit down to color, and I make up my mind.

"I want to help you." I tell them, and Tyler's head snaps to me. Damien raises his brows, like he found me amusing. "I'll stay to help her, anyway I can. My parents work nights, so I'll only be able to stay a few days." I say, but Matt is looking at me like that's more than enough time.

"Told you we should keep her around." Damien says loudly to his brothers, pleased with himself. "I'll give you one thing," He says, swinging an arm over my shoulders, "It's never boring with you around." He grins, but no one else says anything.

"Let's see what you've got in the fridge." I say softly after a minute of silence. "I'll make us something to eat." I say, and make my way down the stairs into the kitchen. At least I knew the house well enough now to maneuver through it alone now. "I don't plan on sleeping tonight." I tell one of the triplets when they walk into the kitchen behind me, watching me pull out boxes of instant mashed potatoes and canned beef stew.

"You're just like him, you know." Matt says, and I shoot him a confused look. Damien comes in behind him and moves around his brother leaning on the counter to take a seat at the table. "Nathan, I mean. I'm always wondering what the two of you are thinking all that time." He tells me with a smile, and in this instant I can tell he misses him.

I'd never considered that the triplets were actually afraid of losing their brother. That I was his replacement. A piece of him that they could keep with them, if only for the time being. I smile at them, flicking on the stove and putting on a pot of tea. When a loud knock sounds at the door, I jump. At first I think it might have been the thunder, but then it sounds again, loud and angry. Matt moves to open it, but I stop him with a hand on his arm.

"Stay in the kitchen. They won't mind killing you." I say, though it sounds too harsh. Matt stares me down a minute before hurrying up the stairs to warn Tyler and the girl. I pull open the door, and I squint at Paul standing out on the porch. He looks wild and bewildered and he was shaking and naked and soaked, and he looked just as frazzled as Nathan looked that first night I saw him with Jared and Sam. "Paul." I say, but he won't look away from my eyes, won't break the contact between us, and n that instant I feel a tug in my chest, as if someone had pushed me toward him from behind, and I stumble a bit but regain my footing quickly.

A heart shattering cry escapes from his throat, like someone was stabbing him. I read the confusion clear on his face. "What's happening to me?" He grinds out, but I have no answer for him.

"Paul!" Jared screams, walking slowly from the line of trees across the street. "Fuck," He curses, when he sees the way he's looking at me. "Paul, I'll explain everything, get away from there!" But Paul doesn't budge.

"Can I come in?" He asks me. Weren't vampires the ones that needed permission before entering a house? I furrow my brows, sensing Damien walking up the hall behind me. I glance behind me to shoot him a threatening look, but he doesn't see me.

"Paul, you need to go." I say, and close the door before he can say anything more. When it's closed I try to stop my shaking fingers long enough to slide the lock into place but my hand was set on vibrate and I kept missing. Damien's rough hand settles gently over mine and guides the lock into place. I feel my shoulders shake before I realize that I'm crying. What a baby, I was. What was I even crying over?

"Come on." Tyler says from behind me, holding out his hand to me, as the whistle of the tea pot pierces the air. "Let's get you some tea."


End file.
